1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to an electronic pedicure instrument used for care and treatment of the hands or feet, including removal of calluses or corns from the feet or hands.
2. Description of Related Art
During a pedicure, calluses, corns and dry, dead, or flaky skin (hereinafter, collectively, “skin imperfections”) are abraded or scraped from the bottom of the feet. This process is optimally performed after the foot has soaked in warm water. Various tools known in the art for removal of skin imperfections include pedicure sanders, callus rasps, pumice stones, pumice sponges and/or razors. Although razors are often very effective for this purpose, they carry a risk of injury. In fact, many states in the United States of America have passed laws prohibiting the commercial use of razors in performing pedicures, and it is expected that more states will follow suit.
The manual performance of a pedicure with abrasive tools, e.g., pumice sponges, is tedious and can result in significant fatigue to the pedicurist, especially when the pedicurist performs several pedicures per day. Some pedicurists experience pain and unfortunately even physical impairments, e.g., carpal tunnel syndrome, from repeated use of manually operated abrasive pedicure tools.
Accordingly, attempts have been made to automate the process of removing skin imperfections from the feet and hands. For example, Jerdon Products, LLC sells a battery-powered pedicure instrument under the name “Pedi-Smooth” and product number JD51BX. This instrument is powered by three AA batteries and comes with detachable rotary sandpaper refills. The sandpaper refills provide an abrasive surface for performance of the pedicure. However, the Pedi-Smooth does not operate at sufficient revolutions per minute (RPM) to adequately remove skin imperfections. It is therefore not popularly used commercially by pedicurists.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,523,546 (Jo) discloses a pedicure sander used for removing calluses or corns from the feet. The sander comprises a motor-driven cylindrical abrasive rotary body. The rotary body and motor are located within a housing. The housing has at least one opening exposing a portion of the rotary body in order to allow the rotary body to contact the skin during a pedicure. Although an improvement over manual tools for the removal of skin imperfections, the structure of this device is not conducive to comfortable use, and can cause undue stress to the hand and wrist of a pedicurist who uses it for extended periods of time throughout the day. The device is not characterized in Jo as being water-tight, and therefore can be unsafe to use in wet environments (in which pedicures are typically performed). The device is capable of providing rotary motion to the cylindrical rotary body at varied RPM. However Jo does not mention the RPM at which the device operates - a parameter which is essential to the effective removal of skin imperfections. Additionally, the cylindrical rotary body is not removable and replaceable. Thus, wear over time as well as collection of bacteria through use can diminish the safety and effectiveness of the device.
U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 20070221238 (Tran) discloses a foot sanding disk adapted to attach to an output shaft of a motorized rotary tool. The details of a rotary tool onto which the disk would attach are not disclosed in Tran. The abrasive materials disclosed for use with the disk, e.g., silica, garnet, silicon carbide, and aluminum oxide, are not ideal for the removal of skin imperfections.
What is therefore needed is a safe and effective electronic pedicure instrument for the removal of skin imperfections. The instrument can be suitable for commercial or home use. Additionally, the instrument would preferably be cordless, rechargeable, safe for use in wet environments and comfortable to use over extended periods of time.